Give Yourself Another Chance
by BaeHalstead
Summary: When tragedy strikes, Brooke Davis is about ready to give up on love. That is until a handsome new detective finds himself in Tree Hill for a new job, Brooke/Halstead coupling. This idea has been wandering my head for a while and I'm not sure if anyone will read this or not but please R&R! :) Appreciate any feedback given. NEW CHAPTER UPLOADED ON 9/3/14! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! :)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N I've really been wanting to see a OTH/Chicago PD crossover with Brooke and Jay, but no one has written one, so I decided to write it myself! So in the Chicago PD world, Erin does not exist and Jay was in intelligence for a long time before moving to Tree Hill. OTH is canon up until around the time when Jude and Davis were born and then it becomes AU. Brooke and Julian are NOT a couple- they were, but not anymore. I want to say what happened to Julian, but right now I have 2 different scenarios running through my head and I can't decide which road I'm going to take, please PM if you would like to give me a helping hand in that decision! Lucas and Peyton are living in Tree Hill at this point and Nathan has not been kidnapped (yet ;) I might have Jay help with that). I'm only going to continue this story if people are reading it, because what's the point otherwise? Constructive criticism is always welcome!**

**-Mary **

Detective Jay Halstead wasn't used to this small town. There was so much he missed about Chicago, the excitement, the noise, and most of all, the food. Finally getting his lunch break, he drove across the town of Tree Hill, North Carolina to a little place that one of the locals suggested, Karen's Café.

The bell rang as he opened the door and it reminded him of one of his favorite diners back home. He was immediately greeted by a honey blonde behind the counter, who told him take a seat wherever he wanted. To his surprise, the place was pretty full. There were only a few open tables, but he found a nice little spot by a window in the front corner of the café. Soon after he sat down, a young waitress came by to take his order. "Hey there, I'm Alex and I'll be taking care of you today. Can I start you off with something to drink?" She was very cheerful, though a little bit monotone, he liked her.

"Yes, can I get a coffee please?" Jay said and flashed her one of his signature smiles.

"Cream and sugar?"

"Both please."

"Awesome, I'll go and grab that for you while you take a look at the menu." She smiled kindly before walking behind the counter to start a fresh pot of coffee.

About 10 minutes later Jay had placed his order and was messing with his phone, waiting for his food to arrive. He heard the bell, and out of instinct looked up. In came the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. As she walked inside, the entire restaurant shouted "Hi, Brooke!" and she smiled in return. Brooke_, what a perfect name_, Jay thought to himself. He wondered who she was and why everyone knew her. His questions were solved the moment she walked behind the counter. He figured she probably owned the place, but wondered why it was called Karen's Café.

Right after Brooke came in, Alex delivered Jay's food- a double cheeseburger with bacon, lettuce, and tomato with a side of French fries and their homemade coleslaw. As soon as the plate was settled on the table and Alex had walked away, he dug in.

Alex wasn't usually a fan of one-tops, they hardly ever tipped well because of the little amount of money they spent, and they were often either really weird or really old. This guy though, she had no idea why this gorgeous man sitting at table 11 was all by himself. She was more cheerful than she usually was, and she wondered if he saw right through her act. He seemed like a nice guy, and after dropping off her food she went behind the counter to greet Brooke. "Hey Brooke! How did Baker Man do today?"

"Ugh, don't even get me started." Brooke was usually a fairly happy person, but it was obvious that today was not her day. "The computers shut down, again, and we had to close the store early! They said last time would be the last freaking time!" She nearly yelled, luckily the café was busy enough that her outburst couldn't be heard by customers.

Alex just stared at her, not knowing how to reply, until she figured out something that might be able to bring her out of her mood. After Brooke seemed calm enough, Alex looked in the direction of the man at table 11 and whispered, "Do you think some candy would cheer you up?"

Brooke looked at her, confused "What? Candy? Alex what are you talking about?"

Alex turned Brooke's head over to the attractive young man, who really seemed to be enjoying his lunch, and discretely pointed in his direction "Some eye candy, duh." Brooke laughed and shifted her attention back to Alex, shaking her head in the process. "I can transfer the table to you if you want, he seems nice, and I don't think he's from around here."

"Alex, thanks, but it's not neccess-" The man was definitely attractive and normally she would have picked it up in a heartbeat, but she didn't want to take over a table that was pretty much finished with his meal.

"Oops, too late, already done. Gotta run, I have tables!" That was Alex, once her mind was made up, there was no changing it. She figured she would take care of the guy for the rest of his visit, but give Alex the tip.

Brooke made her way over to her only table to see if he needed anything and to introduce herself. "Hi, I'm Brooke, you're server got a little bit overwhelmed so I'm gonna be taking over for her." She said with a smile. "Do you need anything? More coffee?"

Jay almost choked on his food when the beautiful woman came walking up to his table, but tried to keep his composure after she introduced herself. "Yes, more coffee will be great."

"Okay then, I'll get that right out for you." Jay wished he had said more, so she would have stayed longer.

When she returned with his the pot of coffee, he thanked her, but didn't want her to leave just quite yet, so he spoke up right as she was turning away, "Uhh, I'm Jay, by the way." He stuttered a little bit, but after the words came out he reached out for a handshake, which she gratefully accepted.

"It's nice to meet you, Jay. You're not from around here, are you?" Now he was glad he introduced himself, but for some reason, felt nervous being around this woman. He didn't get nervous; talking to women was something he was always good at, but she was different.

"No, actually I'm from Chicago. I was offered a job to head my own unit here, and as much as I love Chicago and Intelligence, I couldn't turn it down." The nervousness was starting to die down now, because she looked genuinely interested in what he was saying.

Brooke decided to sit down across from him, considering their rush was almost over and she still didn't have any other tables. "Wow, you traded Chicago for Tree Hill? Must've been a helluva job offer. What do you do?" By this point, everything that happened at Baker Man had been forgotten, and she was enjoying Jay's company.

Jay was startled when she sat down, but it also excited him; made him more invested in the conversation. "I'm a cop." He was a little anxious when he said it, not knowing what she'd think.

"Really?! Wow! You look so young, you know, to have your own unit." Jay chuckled at how excited she was when she learned that piece of information.

"Not that young, I'm 29. And for getting my own unit, I just got lucky. My boss, Hank Voight wrote me a killer letter of recommendation. How about you?"

Brooke didn't think he'd ask about her, so when he did she was a little bit shocked. "Me? I've been here my whole life, apart from the few years after high school when I lived in New York to get my company going."

"Your company? Anything I might have heard of?" Jay asked

"Unless you're in the fashion world, probably not." She said with a slight laugh.

"Try me."

"Clothes over Bros," for a reason unknown to even herself, she started at the beginning, "I started it in high school, even made all of my own clothes. But after graduation I let my mom get involved and the company became bigger. Unfortunately, we got into some legal problems, and now Clothes over Bros is no longer my company."

"You're saying you had your own business at 17, and _I'm_ successful?" Jay was amused at how ironic what she had said before was.

She shook her head in denial "I never said you were successful!"

Jay only laughed, and was about to make a comeback when his phone rang, "Halstead." He said into his phone as Brooke remained across from him. He mumbled a few 'okays' before hanging up the phone and looking at Brooke. "I have to go- work. Would you mind printing my check for me?"

Brooke was disappointed, but tried to hide it in her voice, "It's on the house. First time customer discount." She laughed and made her way around the café, checking on other tables and visiting with some of her regulars.

Jay grabbed his wallet and pulled out a twenty dollar bill and left it on the table anyway. He waved goodbye to Alex and Brooke, and walked out to his car, turning on his lights and speeding away.

He would _definitely_ be returning to Karen's Café sometime soon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Brooke cleaned off the table that, in this past week, has become "Jay's table" because she knew he'd be on his lunch break soon. She noticed the 20 that Jay left, splitting it equally between Alex and herself and he returned the next day, around the same time. He's been eating lunch there every day since and it's become her favorite time of day, sitting with Jay and getting to know him better. She felt like a giddy teenager again, back when she thought Lucas Scott was the love her life and didn't have a care in the world. Brooke heard the bell and immediately looked up, sure enough it was Jay, but he was with someone today. "Brooke, hey! This is Adam Ruzek, he's a detective up in my unit." Jay came up and gave her a side hug, and they stood in the middle of the café for a moment.

Brooke was disappointed that Jay had brought someone else along because that meant she wouldn't get to talk to him as much as she'd like to, but didn't let it show, "Adam, hi. It's nice to meet you. I'm Brooke Davis."

"Brooke Davis? As in Clothes over Bros?" Brooke was a bit shocked that this tough detective knew who she was.

"Uh, yeah that's me; but sadly Clothes over Bros is no longer my company."

"My fiancé, Wendy, loves Clothes over Bros. When it was here she would stop in the store all time, and now she's always searching eBay for Brooke Davis originals." Adam said, laughing at how much his fiancé loves her clothes.

Brooke was beyond excited to know that there were still people out there who knew she was the heart of CoB. "Wow, that's amazing; I didn't know people still wanted the original designs." After she said that, the three of them made their way towards the table. "Alright Halstead, what do you want to drink today?"

"I will have a Coke, and he will have a water." He smiled while simultaneously looking at Brooke and Adam.

Adam was acting like a child, and Brooke was a little confused, "Dude, come on!"

Jay glared at him, "Wendy wanted me to keep an eye on you, make sure you're following her 'cleanse' at work too." He smirked at Adam, who was less than amused, "He'll have water." He said back to Brooke.

Brooke thought it was cute how Jay was basically Adam's babysitter and laughed, "Okay, I'll be right back." She left the table, giving Halstead a smile on the way.

Halstead watched her walk away and Ruzek stared at him, grinning, "You're totally into her."

"Ruzek, I didn't bring you here to talk about my love life, I brought you so we could discuss the case." They had been working on a case that's made it to the national news. It was a robbery case, and houses all over Tree Hill were targets. The guy was dubbed 'The Replacer' because every house he would break into, he'd leave something he stole from his previous victim. Currently, Jay and his team had no leads, and he was starting to lose hope on ever catching the guy.

Soon, Brooke returns with the detectives' drinks in hand. "So, what's it gonna be today, detectives?"

Ruzek was the first answer, partially because he was so hungry he could eat a horse, and partially because he didn't want Jay to order for him, "Can I have the country fried chicken with gravy and mashed potatoes?"

Brooke looked over to Jay, he mouthed "easy salt" and gave her the okay. "You got it. Jay?"

Jay wasn't sure what he was in the mood for, so he decided to have Brooke order for him. "Give me your favorite."

"You sure?" She asked.

"Oh yeah, and this way you could steal a couple bites." He winked at her and she only walked off to go put their order in the computer. He couldn't help but stare after she walked away, but was brought back to reality when Ruzek said something.

"So The Replacer is running out of neighborhoods, do you think he's gonna start back up and repeat, or leave the town and start somewhere fresh?" He wanted to give Jay a hard time about Brooke, but chose not to, a little afraid of what would happen to himself if he spoke another word about it.

"He's a smart guy, I don't think he'll be sticking around Tree Hill much longer. But, like you said- he's running out of places. Our best bet is probably to have officers in each of the remaining neighborhoods every night until we catch this guy." Jay was really stressing out, this was his first major case and he had to solve it so he could prove himself to his new boss. Jay promised Voight he wouldn't let him down.

Brooke returned, but their food wasn't ready yet so she sat down next to Jay. Jay learned to come in towards the end of their lunch rush so he could have more one on one time with Brooke. "Do you want to know what you got now or later?" She asked with one of her famous B. Davis looks.

"I don't want to know until its sitting in front of me. I'm sure whatever it is, I will be happy with it though." Erin smiled, this was him getting to know her- and she liked that.

After about 10 minutes of getting to know the basics of Adam, Brooke went to go check on their food, and sure enough it was ready. She returned with Adam's country fried chicken and Jays surprise meal, a ham melt on Texas toast with a side of mac and cheese. Jay was surprised that Brooke's favorite dish at the store was a greasy sandwich, he thought it would be some sort of breakfast food that she loved. Brooke set the plates down and took her respective seat again next to Jay. "This looks delicious" Jay said, handing her half of the sandwich, only before whispering in her ear, inaudible to Adam across the table, "I told you I'd share," and smiled at her. If Adam wasn't so preoccupied with his lunch, he definitely would have said some snarky comment about the two.

Suddenly, the bell sounded, which caused Brooke to break her gaze off Jay and over to the door, where she was expecting to see customers. Instead, it was one her closest friends, Haley James Scott and her husband, Nathan. Haley, being the queen of sarcasm that she is walked straight up to their table to make a comment, while Nathan went to go get something to eat, "Well, well, what do we have here? Aren't you supposed to be working?"

Jay had seen this honey blonde a few times when he was here, but she usually left right when Brooke got there, and there had only been a few times when he arrived before Brooke. "You know I think I'm more of a businesswoman than a waitress" Brooke said with just the same amount of sarcasm, "besides, there's only a few other tables and I think Riley is handling them quite well."

Haley stifled a laugh, "Okay, Ms. Davis. There's only one way I'm gonna let you off the hook- introduce me to your new friends." The pitch of her voice got higher as she spoke, in a typical Haley James manner.

Brooke laughed, and suddenly remembered that Jay and Adam were still there, staring at her not having a clue on what to say, "If it'll clear my name, then okay." Motioning to Jay and Adam, wanting to give each of them an ego-boost, she decided to use the title, "Detectives Halstead and Ruzek. Jay, Adam, this is Haley; co-owner of Karen's Café. Wait, Haley why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be watching my children?" She forgot that she had Haley and Nathan on babysitting duty until she closed up the café.

Jay choked on his coke when he heard Brooke mention children. He had no idea she was a mom. "Jay, are you okay?" A concerned Brooke asked.

He didn't want to her to think she scared him off, "Oh, yeah," he said in between coughs, "wrong pipe."

"I had to run a few errands with Nathan so I dropped them off at Quinny's. Jamie and Lydia are there too. Anyway, Nathan decided he was hungry so we just _had_ to stop by here and pick something up." Haley figured she'd answer the question, even with the detective's little incident.

Just then, Adam got a call from Wendy, so he went outside to take the call, leaving Halstead alone with the two women. There was sort of an awkward silence, so Jay decided to break the ice and turned to Brooke, "So, you have kids. How old?"

Brooke could sense how Jay was being a little stand offish now, but was glad he was asking questions. And Haley could sense it too, so she went off in search of Nathan. "They're twins, Jude and Davis. They turn 1 in August." She smiled thinking about how big her boys have grown, and then grew upset thinking about how much their father has missed.

"That's great, Brooke." He meant it genuinely, and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. He knew she was a great mother.

The end of Jay's lunch break was nearing and he was taking the final few bites of his mac and cheese, when Nathan and Haley came back. "Jay, was it? This is my husband, Nathan."

"Nathan, great to meet you, Jay Halstead." Jay's timer went off, signaling the end of his lunch break and he decided he'd better get going, "Haley, Nathan, it was great meeting you, but I've got to run, duty calls."

He was just walking out the door when he heard his name, "Jay! Wait!" It was Brooke, he almost forgot to say goodbye to Brooke, as she was clearing the dishes. He turned around to face her, "Nathan and Haley are having a barbeque for the Fourth, and I was thinking, since you're new in the city, and you don't really know anyone, and if you don't have plans you-" Jay cut her off with laughter, she was rambling, and he thought it was adorable.

"I don't have plans, I'd love to come." He wrote down his cell phone number on a napkin from the closest table, "Text me when and where, and I'll be there." He gave her a quick hug and walked out to see Adam arguing with his fiancé and waved him over with a shake of his head. Once again, he was glad that Ruzek was too busy to notice his budding relationship with Brooke Davis.

**A/N Okay! So I decided I would crossover a few Chicago detective into OTH, because I don't really feel like writing OCs right now, and I also felt I really needed some Ruzek! Haha, I have the story planned out until chapter 4, and I decided what to do with Julian. I'm gonna have Brooke spill the beans in chapter 4! Next chapter is the Naley bbq, and Jay catches The Replacer! I would really like some reviews on this, because I need to know how I can do better. I'm not too happy with this chapter, but I think it'll be okay. Sorry for any mistakes, it is currently 4 a.m and I am so tired! Next chapter will be up within the next couple days. **

**Happy readings!**

**-Mary**


	3. Chapter 3

**Callison: Very good point, Brooke is a proud mom and she loves Jude and Davis very much, but she's a little scared to let people in right now (especially someone who could be a potential father figure) and you will learn more about that in the next chapter, when you find out what happened to Julian! ****J**

Brooke paced around Haley's kitchen, glass of wine in hand and extremely nervous about Jay coming to the barbeque. _Stupid Haley_, she thought. Haley was the one that had Brooke invite Jay in the first place. She had told her, "If you're not going to, I'll do it myself." Brooke didn't understand why everyone could just let her be single for once in her life. She needed it, after Lucas, after Julian. Her heart had gone through enough breaking.

She turned around after hearing footsteps, praying that it wasn't Jay, she wasn't ready to see him just quite yet. Fortunately, it was only Peyton. "Brooke, what's going on? You're gonna burn a hole in the floor!"

Brooke stopped pacing, and glared at Peyton. "You know why I'm pacing! I'm nervous!"

Peyton had yet to meet the mysterious Jay that her best friend was so infatuated with, but she had a feeling that this one was going to be different. "Honey, listen to me. I get why you're nervous, I really do, but, I think this Jay guy might just be a good thing for you, okay? If you want to let loose tonight, I will be sure to keep an eye on the boys, just promise me you'll relax?"

Brooke took a heavy breath and sighed. Peyton always knew just what to say, probably because of what they've been through together. She looked outside and saw her boys playing happily with Peyton's daughter, Sawyer, and Haley's daughter, Lydia. Taking in another breath, she looked at Peyton "I'm scared, P, I don't have the best track record in this area."

As high school as it seemed, Peyton decided the only way to get Brooke to lighten up was to get her a little tipsy, "Don't be scared, it's a barbeque, not a marriage proposal," Peyton took Brooke's hands in her own, "here, have another glass of wine. You'll be okay, I promise." After getting more wine, the girls walked outside to where everyone else was enjoying the sun.

Jamie Scott was the first to reach the door after hearing the doorbell. All of his parents' friends were already there, so he wasn't sure who it would be. The boy unlocked the door, and opened it slightly, "Uhh… Who are you?" He asked when he saw the tall man with a bag in his hands.

"I'm Detective Halstead, I heard there's a party going on here, thought I'd come and check it out." Jay thought he was being funny, but it only confused the youngest Scott boy, so after a few moments of awkward silence he added, "Brooke invited me."

Just then, Brooke walked up behind Jamie, "James Lucas Scott, are you supposed to be answering the door?"

Jamie was still confused, and with a little bit of hesitation he said, "Sometimes I can.. And this guy says he's a detective, do I believe him?"

It was then when Brooke looked up to see a grinning Jay, holding a mysterious bag. She bent down to Jamie's eye level and whispered to him, "I don't know, maybe you should let me talk to him." She smiled as the words came out of her mouth, talking to Jamie, yet looking straight up into Jay's eyes. Jamie walked away, leaving the two adults alone in the doorway. "Well, you gonna stand outside all night or are you going to get in here and give me a hug?"

Jay could tell she was a tad bit tipsy already. He walked right in and squeezed her tight, smelling the light scent of alcohol her breath left behind. After they broke apart, Brooke asked what he was holding, "I didn't want to come empty handed, so I brought some fireworks for the kids, and some beer for the adults." He lifted both hands, revealing the items in each.

Brooke laughed, and dragged him outside, where all of her high school friends were chatting amongst themselves. "Everyone, this is Jay, Jay, this is, well, everyone!" Brooke drunkenly shouted the minute they stepped foot outside.

All of the guests waved to Jay, and Jay waved back. He didn't get to keep his hand in the air for long though because Brooke had taken hold of it and led him to a small group of people on the patio. He recognized Haley and Alex from the Café, but they were the only ones. Brooke stopped in front of a leggy blonde, "Jay. This is my best friend in the whole world, Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer!" Brooke stated very enthusiastically while releasing Jay to give Peyton a love filled hug. Jay shook her hand and quietly asked how much Brooke has had to drink after she walked away to talk to Haley.

"You mean, Peyton Elizabeth _Scott_" Peyton glared, then looked at Jay "So she was a little nervous about you meeting everyone tonight and got a little carried away, but if I counted right, she's had 2 glasses of wine and a margarita Alex made- and I have no idea how much alcohol she puts in those things." Peyton laughed with that last bit, but took note of Jay's worried face, "Don't be worried, she'll be fine, just stick by her side."

Jay nodded and went to find Brooke, he spotted the boy who answered the door playing with some younger blonde boys, whom he assumed were Brooke's boys. When he found her, he placed an arm on the small of the back so she would know he was there. Brooke stopped talking to Mouth mid-sentence and turned around to face Jay. She leaned into his ear and whispered, "Come with me, I want you to meet some people."

Brooke introduced him to Jude and Davis, and they really seemed to take a liking to him. Brooke was glad, but it also scared her.

A couple hours later, after burgers and hot dogs, and fireworks and football, the women watched as the men played with the kids in Nathan and Haley's huge backyard. Brooke watched as Jay played with Jude and Davis. It was the perfect sight to see. She couldn't but chuckle at the girls' comments about how attractive he was, his great body, because she thought the same exact things.

Nathan decided to take a break, with Jay following in suit. "So, you've known Brooke for a while, right?" Jay asked Nate, out of breath from spending hours chasing after kids.

"Yeah, we've been through a lot, have a similar backgrounds." Jay looked at him and nodded, and took a sip of his beer. Nathan kept talking, and Jay heard the change of tone in his voice, "She's been through hell, you know? Twice. She's like a sister to me, so if you hurt her, you better bet I'll be at your door in a second."

Jay looked to the ground, then at Brooke, then back at Nathan, "If I blow my chances with her, you better bet I'll leave that door unlocked for you."

A few moments later, Jay walked up to where to girls were sitting, with two very worn out toddlers in his arms. He took the final few steps to the also worn out Brooke, lounging on a pool chair. "I think it's time we get going." He whispered. "We can take my car." Brooke mumbled something that Jay didn't really hear, and struggled to find her balance as she stood.

Jay handed the twins to Haley and Peyton, so he could get Brooke to the car and move Jude and Davis' car seats. After getting Brooke settled, he walked back though the house to grab the boys. "Do you need any help?" Both Haley and Peyton asked in unison.

"No, I think I've got it, I'll holler if I need anything though." He said with a silent chuckle, "Thank you, for having me. You have a beautiful house, and I had a great time."

Jay made his way back to his car, strapped the boys in, and drove to Brooke's house. By the time he got there, all three of his passengers were asleep. He carefully dug through Brooke's purse so he could find her keys, and after he did, he carried the boys in the house.

He returned a minute later for Brooke. He didn't want to wake her, so he cautiously unbuckled her seatbelt and lifted her up into his arms. She shook herself awake half way between the car and the front door. She looked around and noticed she was in Jay's arms, suddenly wishing she hadn't woken up, "Where are we?" she asked, her voice extra raspy.

"I drove you home, you were a little tired," Jay laughed, and after a minute, so did Brooke. He gently set her down so she could walk, but kept a tight grip on her waist, as he walked her to the door. "The boys are in bed, don't be worried." He smiled and looked down on her.

"Thank you for this, for caring." Brooke looked at him, and their eyes met.

Jay's voice was quiet, almost silent, "Anytime." He cupped her face with one hand, while the other found its way up her back. As started to lean in, Brooke's eyes closed and she noticed the gap between their faces get smaller.

Their lips where millimeters apart, when they heard, "Oh, my God. I am _so_ sorry!" Both of their heads snapped over to the direction voice. Jay didn't recognize the girl, but he noticed the light in Brooke's face when she saw her.

Brooke instantly ran over to her and nearly squeezed the life out her, "Sam! Hi!"

**A/N Sorry to end on a cliffhanger! I hope this chapter was good for you guys! I feel like there wasn't enough detail at the barbeque scene, but I also think I covered it okay. And I know I said that Jay would catch "The Replacer" but I decided to save it for next chapter. I felt like this was getting too long, so I ended it here! Unfortunately though, this means that Julian's fate probably won't be revealed until chapter 5, since next chapter will mainly focus on Jay and his work. Please please review! Nothing excites me more than when I see that I have a new review! Also, the Jay/Jamie thing, was that weird? Was Jay being creepy, I NEED to know those things haha!**


	4. Chapter 4

Hi guys! I would like to apologize for not updating this story for an entire month! I have a whole list of excuses, that start with Big Brother 16 and and end with me not having internet for almost 2 weeks. Long story short, if I can find the inspiration, hopefully a new chapter will be posted within the next few days, if not tonight. I have had a lot going on, and I'm sorry that you guys had to suffer from it. I just wanted to let y'all know that I have NOT abandoned this story.

Best regards,

Mary :)


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I hope you guys like this chapter. It's very Sam heavy! Also a couple things, I decided that since Erin never existed, Jay's relationship to Voight is the same as Erin's on the show. And I originally wanted them to go to a Joe's Crabshack, but I don't think they have those in NC, so they went to a nameless seafood restaurant instead haha. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! THANKS! ****J**

**More info bottom ****J**

After several minutes of awkwardly standing in front of Brooke's door while she talked with the young girl, Jay decided it was time to go home. He walked up to Brooke, and lightly put his hand on the small of her back to get her attention, "Hey, I'm gonna get going. I'll call you." He removed his hand from her back and started walking towards his car.

Brooke was so invested her conversation with Sam, she had momentarily forgotten about Jay, "Wait! Let me introduce you two first." She said with a smile and Jay held back a minute. "Jay, this is Sam, my first daughter," Jay's eyed nearly bugged out of his head in confusion, until Sam stepped in.

"Well, foster daughter. Brooke let me stay with her a few years ago when I was going through some stuff." Jay smiled at the thought Brooke taking care of Sam the way Voight had done with him when he was a teenager. "It's nice to meet you, Jay."

"Yeah, you too," he said sincerely. There was a short pause, until Jay realized Brooke didn't have a car so to rid the silence he cleared his throat, "Brooke, did you want me to pick you up in the morning to get your car?"

Brooke had completely forget she left her car at Nathan and Haley's, "Yeah, that'd be great actually. I need to open the café at eight, so do you want to swing by around 7:30?"

"7:30 sounds great, I'll see you then." With that, Jay waved goodbye and headed home, leaving Brooke and Sam alone, after not seeing each other in over a year.

As soon as Jay drove away, Sam's nosiness started to peak, "So. Who was that?" She asked with a grin.

Brooke rolled her eyes, "A friend. Let's go inside, I missed you!" She grabbed Sam's arm and took her inside.

Pg brk.

A couple hours later, Brooke and Sam had gotten all caught up on what they'd been up to since they last saw each other, which was right after 'the Julian thing' happened. "Alright Sam, I love you, but I need to know why you showed up at my door at midnight."

"You said I always have a home here."

Brooke sighed, she had to find out what drove Sam away from her white picket fence, "I did, and you do, but what's your reasoning for coming back?"

Sam took in a deep breath, "Rebecca has a new boyfriend. I'm not really liking him so much. She and I got in a huge fight and she kicked me out, I just- I didn't know where else to go." She was trying to hold in tears, "And it wouldn't have been that big a deal if it was the first fight. But it seems all we do anymore is fight and I can't handle it anymore."

"You can stay as long as you need, unfortunately the boys took your room, so you'll need to sleep on the couch." She said with a laugh as she went to grab extra pillows and a blanket for Sam.

"Oh yeah, I haven't seen 'em in a while. How are they doing, since ya know…" Sam kind of froze, remembering what a sensitive subject Julian was for Brooke.

Brooke returned and looked into Sam's eyes, "They're good. We're good." For the first time in months, Brooke wasn't lying, after meeting Jay, everything seemed to have changed. "I'm going to bed. Breakfast is as 7." She winked and walked away.

Pg Brk.

It was 7:18 and Brooke was preparing to see Jay again. "Sam would you mind watching the boys for a few hours? Haley asked me to open the café and their sitter just bailed. I should be home by eleven."

Sam was a little nervous about watching the twins alone but agreed after all Brooke had done for her, "Sure, as long as you're back by eleven!"

A few minutes later the doorbell rang, signifying Jay's arrival. As Brooke was walking to the door she shouted random instructions to Sam like "Extra snacks are in the left cupboard." and "They shouldn't need to nap until I get home." When she answered the door, there stood Jay with the grin Brooke had started to fall in love with. "Hey."

"Hey yourself. Ready to go?"

"Yeah, let me just say bye to the boys and grab my purse. Come in, stay there, whatever." She walked away and Jay let himself in the house. It looked different in the daylight. It was cute, he could tell Brooke decorated it.

"Sam, right?" He asked when he saw the brunette walk into the kitchen, baby on hip.

"Uh, yup. That's my name, don't wear it out." It was a little uncomfortable for the pair, but thankfully, Brooke walked out just in time. "Bye Brooke!"

Jay opened the door and let Brooke out, taking a final look at Sam, he noticed something he hadn't the night before. Her necklace. It looked an awful lot like one of the missing necklaces from one of The Replacer's latest targets. He took note, but decided he'd keep his mouth shut for now. "Bye Sam, nice seeing you again." He spoke with a smile and followed Brooke out the door, closing it right behind him. As soon as the door shut, he pulled Brooke into his body and gave her the kiss she missed out on the night before.

The kiss was electrifying. It was the completely different from any kiss she shared with Julian, and even Lucas. Jay pulled away after a few seconds. "Well hello to you too." Brooke said with a huge smile on her face, their noses still touching. "It's 7:47, the store needs to be opened in thirteen minutes. As badly as I want to do that again, we better go." She gave him a quick kiss and headed to the driver side of Jay's car. Jay gave her a confused look, "Your driving almost made me sick last night. No more for you." She laughed, but was completely serious, and Jay couldn't say no to her quite yet, so he tossed her the keys and sat in the passenger seat. "I'm actually going to head straight to the café, no time to get my car. I'll go by and pick it up later. Will you be coming by for lunch?" Jay didn't hear her, he was still focused on the necklace. "Detective?" That snapped him out of thought, _God her voice is sexy,_ he thought to himself.

"Sorry, what'd you say?"

"I asked if you were coming by for lunch today. Haley and I switched shifts today, so if you are, we can eat together." She was smiling. A real smile which had been rare for her in these past few months.

"Of course I'll be in for lunch. Hey, maybe you could bring Sam and the boys? I'd like to get to know them better." While he did want to get to know them better, he really wanted to know the story behind Sam's necklace.

Brooke loved how interested he was in her family, and instantly agreed. "Yeah, that's a great idea, but you'd need to pick them up?" I'm kinda stuck here." She laughed again, by this point they were on Grace St., right in front of Karen's Café.

"I'd be happy to pick them up." He opened his door and she did the same. They met in front of the passenger side of Jay's car, and he gave her one more peck on the lips before leaving for the station.

Pg. Brk.

When Jay got to Brooke's, he realized Jude and Davis' car seats were still in his car, so he casually got out and went to knock on the door. Sam answered moments later, "Twice in one day? You realize you already picked her up, right?" Jay laughed and brushed the comment aside, he honestly didn't really know how to define the relationship he had with Brooke.

"Very funny. I'm actually here to pick you up. Brooke and I were thinking of taking you and the boys out for lunch." He looked down at her pajama pants, "You better get dressed. I'll get the boys. You have ten minutes before I leave you here." Jay walked into the boys' room to find them playing happily with some toy trucks. "Hey guys! You ready to go see mommy?" Both boys jumped with excitement and Jay walked them out to the car.

Sam came out a few minutes later, dressed in her signature skinny jeans and converse. The drive to the café was silent, apart from a giggle or whine from either Jude or Davis. Jay didn't think it was the right time to bring up the necklace yet.

As much as Jay loved the café, he decided to take them somewhere else to eat. He quickly texted Brooke just that, and after picking her up, he drove them to a small seafood joint he discovered right when he moved to town.

The five unloaded from Jay's Chrysler 300, and walked into the restaurant. Just like at Karen's Café, Jay was pretty regular here, and got several greeting as he walked in the door. "Someone's popular" Brooke teasingly said with a wink.

"I actually haven't been here in a while, in case you haven't noticed me eating at your restaurant every day for weeks."

"Detective Halstead!" Brooke noticed a tiny blonde make her way to Jay and immediately felt jealous, resulting in her unconsciously grabbing his hand. "You brought friends, how many?" The flirty blonde noticed the hand holding, but it wasn't going to stop her from flirting with the seemingly single (before today) hot cop that comes in every so often.

Jay smugly smiled when he felt Brooke grab his hand and responded by intertwining their fingers. "Uhh, well, there's the three of us and the boys will probably need high chairs, right Brooke?"

"Yeah, they need high chairs. If I were you, I'd sit us a larger table." Brooke kept her cool with the waitress, even though a fire was building inside of her.

The waitress led them to a six top towards the back of the restaurant, and introduced herself as Mandy. She quickly got their drink order and pranced off. The three adults and the toddlers were starved, so not much conversation was made while they hungrily looked over the large menu. When Mandy returned, everyone knew what they were going to get. Brooke ordered Mac&Cheese for both boys, and ordered herself a salmon filet. Sam ordered a burger, and Jay got crab.

Conversation was limited as they waited for their food. Jay decided now would be a good time to get to know Sam, maybe figure out how she got hold of that necklace. "So, Sam, how do you know Brooke?"

Sam was liking Jay a lot, but then again, she also really liked Julian, so she was trying not to get too invested. "She took me in when I was 15. The first time we met; I actually stole from Clothes Over Bros. A couple days later I showed up in Haley's class, completely uneager to learn. Haley asked her to take me in, and to my surprise she did. Even after what I did." Brooke was looking at Sam with tears dwelling, both happy and sad. "It was a rocky start, but I eventually learned to let her in, and she really helped me out. When my birth mother contacted me and asked me to go live with her, it was one of the hardest decisions of my life." She also mumbled how she wished she didn't make that choice, but Brooke didn't hear, and Jay barely caught it.

Jay looked across the table at Brooke, and they shared a look. Jay admired her for what she did with Sam. "How long ago did you move out?" Jay was 100% invested in the story now.

"She left about a two and a half years ago. God, it's been a long time Sam. I've missed you so much." Brooke gave her a side hug, as they were sitting on the same side of the table.

Jay smiled at the moment the women were sharing, "Okay, no crying today Brooke. Now it's my turn for questions." Sam had a sly smile on her face, "How did you meet Brooke, Jay?"

Jay looked down and laughed, "My story isn't nearly as exciting as yours. I needed a place to eat lunch, a coworker suggested Karen's Café, and well, here we are." Just then, Mandy and another server who was infatuated with Jay brought over their food. He didn't ever look away from Brooke though, even when Mandy basically shoved her cleavage into his face as she set down his dish. "Thanks." The words came out harsher than he expected. He never even flirted with the girls here when he came alone, he didn't understand her forwardness.

The waitress was talking to all of them, but it appeared like Jay was the only one the table, "Enjoy. I'll be back in a few to check on y'all." She did a sexy walk when walking away, and again, Jay didn't notice, but Brooke did.

They were all enjoying their food, and Jay thought it'd be a perfect time to bring of the necklace around Sam's neck, but he had to do it in a no accusing way, mainly out of fear of saying the wrong thing and pissing off Brooke. "Sam, I've been eyeing that necklace all day, it's beautiful. Where'd you get it, I might need a reference for the future." He winked at Brooke when said those last words.

"Oh this?" She asked, taking a look at diamond around her neck, "I dunno, my mom's newest fling gave it to me after the last time I got pissed at him do try and butter me up." She shrugged it off like it was no big deal, "It's probably not even a real diamond. He doesn't make enough money to bring home all the nice stuff he does." That's when everything clicked for Jay. He had to find out more about this guy, maybe he'd be able to get the guy's name from Sam. Jay just got a huge lead, and it's all thanks to Brooke.

**A/N: I know! I suck so much. It's been like 2 months since I've updated, but I haven't had any inspiration at all. I hope this super long chapter makes up for it though! I started college ( S) which is helping me get back into writing again. I ordered my Season 1 Chicago PD DVD, did you? I meant for Jay to actually solve the case during this chapter, but it was starting to get SUPER long, and I had to end it. But for sure, NEXT CHAPTER, "The Replacer" will be caught and we can have some more Bray action! Hopefully I will update soon, but only if people are still reading this story! So please, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! The more reviews I get, the more pressure I feel to write, so the story is in your hands, readers.**


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